How is the handling?I have an SEL FWD non-turbo. Smooth acceleration. It is faster than it feels. Very quiet. I initially had it in regular drive mode and now in smart mode. I like smart mode. After break-in I'll move to sport. So far mileage has been fine... says 19.4 mpg mostly city and a little freeway. Bought it on 08/26, so had it for ~10 days. Mileage will improve once the motor has broken in. The normally aspirated 4 will not knock your socks off in acceleration but does a decent job. So far it makes me happy. If I want snap your head back acceleration I'll go to my Model 3 or F-Type R. So far enjoying the Santa Cruz.
A bit more body roll than I am used to, but overall does well. Haven't done any long drives yet. Planning on trying a twisty back road today so may have more feedback to provide.How is the handling?
Took one of the canyon routes we do with the sports car club. Fairly twisty. SEL did very well and handled the tight turns well. I took it easy on the turns. I had the SC in Smart drive mode. Previously had it in standard mode. Smart mode works very well.A bit more body roll than I am used to, but overall does well. Haven't done any long drives yet. Planning on trying a twisty back road today so may have more feedback to provide.
Thank you for the overall driving impressions. Great to read about the comparison of the two vehicles from someone who actually was in the market to buy one.Bought a SE FWD... We get snow but I've driven in it all my life and even had FWD Rabbit in Ski country, AWD would be a nice buffer tho.
I Will add more here as I drive/learn more about the Santa Cruz I bought.
I've test-driven Fords new Maverick XLT 2.0T AWD So I will base off that.
First Impressions:
When I drove the Maverick I found the front seats very hard and the first thought I had...Driving any distance you're going to be numb and be in pain within 500 miles
The Sants Cruz felt firm,, supportive a little like a glove type fit.. Materials seem a little better quality
Interior:
The Santa Cruz felt more refined...even being the base model it had what you need for a daily driver...
The Maverick really didn't feel like a Ford to be honest.. the Seat wasn't plush.. some of the Dash felt like it was an afterthought.."Oh, Yea we need this.. let's squeeze it in here..or knob there...My last Ford was a 2011 2WD F150 and it was nice to ride in.. The Maverick..Well, kind of like the name..Felt like a buckboard.
Power:
The Maverick 2.0T AWD was a Rocket... but drove kind of weird, it was more truck-like in the ride and handling compared to the Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz 2.5 FWD has power..don't let anyone tell you different..It hit 80 on the freeway without breaking a sweat... It has plenty of power... a rocket maybe not but it's no slouch. Its ride was sport-like... it hugged the road, You could feel the short wheelbase in that it brought to mind a Mazda Slogan..."Zoom...Zoom" if you need a quick city drive this is it.....Zoom..Zoom
Price:
For the price, I had to pay I could have had a nicely equipped XLT 2.0T AWD...and I'll admit I was one of the ones that said to walk away from addendums.. But that was before I had driven the Maverick and Santa Cruz. So I was wrong...Pay what you think is fair!
I had given this dealership bad marks because of the addendums but after they actually used part of it as a bump up on my trade to get me into this Cruz at the payment I wanted...(in the last week I have gotten offers on my Chevy..and all of them came in at around $17500(Caravan-Carmax..etc.,)(I owed $17400 on it) and yesterday I got one for $7000 from Zoom...So I was actually getting a little nervous about whether I could get rid of the Chevy and buy anything.
Did I pay too much for the Cruz....time will tell but for me, it gives me what I needed..better MPG in town...Smaller and still can haul stuff
Conclusion for now
What do you want in a driving experience? A truck...Or an SUV-type experience and still haul stuff?
I've only had the Santa Cruz overnight so I may add more as I put miles on it
Realistically, the XLT is more of the starter grade, and its better to think of the XT is a fleet vehicle that Ford happens to also make available to the public. That's why it has limited colors, steelies, no cruise control, different cloth interior, etc. In fact, the XT and fleet vehicle are identical except that you can actually order the fleet vehicle with optional power seats but otherwise still look like a XT.Thank you CASD! Excellent review...and the Maverick XLT/SC comparison was fascinating: the SE is the bottom dweller of the line but XLT is mid-grade...and yet the SC still felt higher quality.
L will be trading my 2019 base Tacoma doe a AWD SE, not only does the Tacoma have a key but you have to use it to open the door, and only the driver's door has a keyhole. But the truck is bigger than I need and the SC will replace it and a Honda Civic. All around win for me. Now all I need is the SC, ordered last Thursday, no estimate on delivery.OMG ... I don't think I realized the base models in the US actually had a keyed ignition. You would think it would cost them less to just standardize the entire lineup on one ignition system and one key fob. I've officially reached the point where I'm forgetting that new vehicles can still have keys and twisty ignitions.
But you will miss out on Hyundai BlueLink!L will be trading my 2019 base Tacoma doe a AWD SE, not only does the Tacoma have a key but you have to use it to open the door, and only the driver's door has a keyhole. But the truck is bigger than I need and the SC will replace it and a Honda Civic. All around win for me. Now all I need is the SC, ordered last Thursday, no estimate on delivery.
At my age the SE has all the Tech I need and can deal with, I still use a garmin for navigation and am not sure if I will use Android autoBut you will miss out on Hyundai BlueLink!![]()
Will kind of miss the automatic cruise control, kind of liked it on the Tacoma, but the civic doesn't have it. I looked at the differences between SE and SEL and couldn't justify the extra 3K. I only drive 4-5 k a year. My truck only has 6000 miles so got a real good trade inAt my age the SE has all the Tech I need and can deal with, I still use a garmin for navigation and am not sure if I will use Android auto
I was being sarcastic.At my age the SE has all the Tech I need and can deal with, I still use a garmin for navigation and am not sure if I will use Android auto